People smugglers to have assets frozen and face UK ban under new sanctions

People-smuggling gang leaders and corrupt law enforcement officials could have their assets frozen and be banned from the UK as part of new efforts to curb illegal immigration.

Companies that sell small boat equipment for Channel crossings will also face the raft of sanctions announced by the Foreign Secretary on Tuesday.

This ranges from those involved in supplying and financing small boats, fake passports, and “middlemen” putting cash through the Hawala system, a legal money transfer system, which is also used in payments linked to Channel crossings.

The first wave of sanctions comes into force on Wednesday, and recipients will be publicly named, so it will be illegal for UK businesses and banks to deal with them.

More than 20 designations are expected to be in the firing line, and could include corrupt public officials and police officers in steps to tackle the multi-billion-dollar industry.

Over 23,500 migrants have crossed the Channel in small boats so far in 2025.

The fresh sanctions aim to target organised crime gangs wherever they are in the world and disrupt their flow of cash, including freezing bank accounts, property and other assets, to hinder their activities.

The latest measures to curb people-smuggling come as the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill continues through Parliament.

The bill, if passed, will introduce new criminal offences and hand counterterror-style powers to police and enforcement agencies to crack down on people smuggling gangs.

Details are also being ironed out on a so-called “one in, one out” pilot scheme, announced by Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month.

The scheme will see migrants arriving via small boat to the UK promptly sent back to France, in exchange for a different individual being allowed to come to the UK by a safe and legal route.

However, there is no “fixed” target for the number of migrants who will be returned to France if they cross the Channel via small boat, the home secretary has said.

Discussing the new sanctions, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “For too long, criminal gangs have been lining their corrupt pockets and preying on the hopes of vulnerable people with impunity as they drive irregular migration to the UK. We will not accept this status quo.

“That’s why the UK has created the world’s first sanctions regime targeted at gangs involved in people smuggling and driving irregular migration, as well as their enablers.

“From tomorrow, those involved will face having their assets frozen, being shut off from the UK financial system and banned from travelling to the UK.”